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Snell experts needed

sberger

sberger

Hard Core Geezer
Subscriber
I'm strongly considering a pair of E II's that are selling locally. According to the seller, they had "restoration" done not long by the previous seller, although he's going to get back to me to confirm what that was. The cosmetics are good, but I'm not familiar very familiar with these speakers other then what I've read online and just want to make sure that the drivers look original and the surrounds look good.

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Thanks!
 
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Wow, They look so very clean and original.

Looks like the Foam has been replaced.

Foam is only good for 20 maybe 25 years in a good climate.
 
Thank you! Evidently the previous owner had an “upgraded crossover installed” by Atomic Hi-Fi sometime within the last few years so perhaps thats when the surrounds were done. Still trying to nail down details but I’m going to take them. They look good overall and this will be my first pair of Snell’s.
 
Everyone I know who has Snells have had them for decades if not longer.

Post complete pictures please.
 
Well I got them and they're wonderful. I'll be sure to post pics later.

There was a bit of fly in the ointment as when I went to play them for the first time I noticed there wasn't any jumpers. I don't plan on bi-wiring, so jumpers are needed. I figured the seller had just forgotten to give them to me. When I sent him a message, he informed me that the jumpers weren't part of the sale! Mind you, this was never noted in his listing, and I replied as such. Anyway, I fashioned some and he's agreed to bring them over next week, but does anybody else think that's a little bizarre?
 
Buck Rogers said:
LOL... Pretty lame...

" Zero Stars Speakers have no highs...~~!

WTF~~!"
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Right??!!

Anyway all’s well that ends well. They sound wonderful and I’m really happy with them.

A couple of quick pics with some of their new fam, without the grilles, which are in excellent condition also.

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I’ve owned several sets of Snell speakers. Yours look really nice. Also, if Atomic HiFi worked on them, you can be sure things were done correctly.
My best Snells right now are a highly modified set of E II’s.
Custom cabinets. New crossovers by someone I consider to be a Guru of crossovers. He rebuilt them exactly to the originals including bundling the caps.
And finally, ne Audio Note drivers.
I’d put them up against anything in the 5-10,000 dollar range.
 

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trinhsman said:
I’ve owned several sets of Snell speakers. Yours look really nice. Also, if Atomic HiFi worked on them, you can be sure things were done correctly.
My best Snells right now are a highly modified set of E II’s.
Custom cabinets. New crossovers by someone I consider to be a Guru of crossovers. He rebuilt them exactly to the originals including bundling the caps.
And finally, ne Audio Note drivers.
I’d put them up against anything in the 5-10,000 dollar range
Click to expand...

I'm planning on contacting Atomic with the serial numbers of the speakers so that they can furnish me with a receipt of their work, but given how they sound I'd be surprised if what I am hearing is the result of 40 year old crossovers. Clear, sharp, but not shrill at all. I played them earlier with a pair of Class D Fosi V3's, and presently with a McIntosh MC240. Two types of amplification that couldn't be further apart from each other, and yet the speakers sounded great with each. That makes me happy as I do like to swap between my several amps when using my various speakers.

So yeah, I can see why people have loved these speakers for so many years. Back in the 80's when I knew about them, I couldn't afford them(much like all of my other current gear) I'm very happy to have finally rectified that.
 
I have had several pair of Snell speakers, big and small, and liked them all. I currently have a pair of Snell Type C/V. Those E IIs look great and I bet they sound pretty good too. Congrats!
 
Mingo said:
I have had several pair of Snell speakers, big and small, and liked them all. I currently have a pair of Snell Type C/V. Those E IIs look great and I bet they sound pretty good too. Congrats!
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Thanks!

Only problem is that I fear falling down the Snell rabbit hole and looking for more.

Ah this hobby of ours.
 
Would appreciate it if I could get an explanation why it's popular to disconnect the rear tweeter on the Type E II's. I cannot discern any negative impact to the sound of the speaker with it now engaged, but then again I might be interested in experimenting. And if I did want to attempt to disconnect it, is it just a matter of removing the tweeter and disconnecting the wires?

Thanks.
 
Over the years have owned most of the Snell models including two pairs of A3Is, the CV, B minor etc.

These look pretty original to me. Snell added the rear tweeter to many models to add more space to the sound.

The only thing I would say about most of the Snells is the more power the better the sound even on small bookshelf sized models.
When I had my last pair of A3is I drove them with a a quad set of JC-1s. They really came to life even at lower volumes with the power on tap.
 
I’ve now had the ability to try them with a few different amps both tube and SS and they do very well with both. The tube gear being McIntosh and frankly I think it’s difficult for any speaker to sound badly on those amps. But yes when used with a two hundred watt amp and the gain nudged up a bit a different side of the E’s came through. A more muscular side that really had the toes tapping. Fun stuff for sure.

I reached out to Atomic Hi-Fi about the crossover but they're on vacation until early July. I’ll be interested in what they tell me because these speakers don’t sound like 40+ year old’s. They sound new. I really don’t feel like opening them up so I’m hoping I can get confirmation on what work might've been completed.
 
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Congratulations, Snell's are wonderful speakers. They don't come up for sale often in my area but I've been fortunate to snag a pair of Type D's and a pair of C lV's in the last few years. Not only do they sound exceptional, the wood veneer cabinets are really nice.
 
hpm40 said:
Congratulations, Snell's are wonderful speakers. They don't come up for sale often in my area but I've been fortunate to snag a pair of Type D's and a pair of C lV's in the last few years. Not only do they sound exceptional, the wood veneer cabinets are really nice.
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Thanks! I can't stop listening to them.
 
This was posted in another Snell thread and I'm reposting here for those who missed it.

 
As I research these speakers I've found that some specs list them as 4-6 ohms. I assumed they were 8. I'll start to experiment with connecting to 4 ohm taps on the amps that have them but wanted to see if there is a definitive answer.
 
My favorite Snell speakers were the A7 Illusion. Two 10 inch woofers, two 5 inch midranges above and below the 1 inch tweeter. There is a review on the Stereophile website. They still our my favorite speaker right out of the box. The clarity is amazing the bass is very accurate and the highs are smooth , very revealing and yet very enjoyable.
 
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